Pro Day Primer: Tuesday

WR AJ Jenkins will be just one of 51 prospects working out on Tuesday

Welcome to Pro Day Workouts Day 4. With every passing day the workouts become more staggering and the NFL scouting staffs become even more spread out. Yesterday it was six schools working out and today its 14. Yesterday it was 24 athletes and today its over 50. So sit down, buckle up, and get ready because we are about to take you on a whirlwind tour around the country and introduce you to the players you need to know for Tuesday.

Alabama A&M

DE Corey Hart

LB Willie Fuller

Hart was a dynamic edge rusher in the SWAC this past year. He put up good numbers all year long and was among the season leaders in both sacks and TFL. We saw him live at the HBCU Bowl and were left with mixed feelings about his burst and speed off the edge. The former Marshall player came into the HBCU Bowl at 6’1, 229 and we’ll be looking to see him put on some weight and improve his 40 time which ranged from 4.75-4.85.

Arkansas

WR Jarius Wright

WR Joe Adams

WR Greg Childs

RB Broderick Green

DE Jake Bequette

LB Jerry Franklin

SAF Tramain Thomas

The main attraction will of course be the trio of WR’s that Arkansas has to offer up to the NFL this season. We expect Joe Adams to likely sit on his combine efforts while both Greg Childs and Jarius Wright could choose to run again and improve their times. Wright particularly was considered “slower” than expectations. Defensively we expect Bequette to only do positional drills while both Franklin and Thomas will be putting down times for the first time after not being invited to Indy.

Auburn

OT Brandon Mosley

SAF Neiko Thorpe

LB Eltoro Freeman

Auburn clearly had a down season after their national title run the year prior. While they don’t have any prospects like Cam Newton they do have a solid group of players to evaluate this season. Mosley is a mid round lineman who could end up being a Day 2 pick who one day develops into a starter. SAF Neiko Thorpe is a big safety prospect who can move. He’s a converted CB who has some hip wiggle and can cover the slot WR in straight up man. Lastly Freman is a bit undersized but he runs extremely well and looks like late round/free agent fit in a 43 Cover 2 scheme.

Buffalo:

WR Marcus Rivers

OG Josh Violanti

QB Chazz Anderson

WR Terrell Johnson

Marcus Rivers is the most intriguing prospect at this Pro Day with his size and athleticism. He has nice hands and did a good job at UB getting open despite having coverage on him. Josh Violanti could be an intriguing interior lineman option late, he has OG and OC ability and could be a good utility guy. Both Anderson and Johnson are potential free agents who could use some good Pro Days to showcase themselves.

Cal-Lutheran

CB Justin Hauley-Bateman

Not familiar with the kid out of D3? Don’t worry not many are, but let’s be clear he can play ball with many of the other top small school CB’s. Bateman has good size and ball skills for the position and does a good job staying with the WR on film. He’ll need to run a decent 40 time to try and sneak into Day 3.

Clark Atlanta

DE Darel Strong

LB Harrison Porter

We were able to see Strong up close and person at the HBCU Bowl and he was impressive in limited reps, showed good strength and speed off the snap. Porter is an undersized tackling machine who will really have to run a good time in order to get one somebodies radar.

Eastern Kentucky

DT Emory Attig

CB Jeremy Caldwell

SAF Patrick McClellan

It’s all defensive prospects for the Colonels this year as they yield an over achiever at DT who has defied the odds and become one of the premier interior defenders in the OVC. They also feature one of the most dangerous return men in the country in Jeremy Caldwell and an over sized SAF prospect in McClellan. Caldwell is expected to blaze the track and run in the 4.4’s while McClellan needs to run a solid time himself and prove he’s more than just a big body.

Georgia Tech

RB Roddy Jones

DE Jason Peters

WR Stephen Hill

Has any prospect done more for his stock than Stephen Hill? Similar to Demariyus Thomas a couple of years ago, Hill has emerged from a triple option attack offense to become one of the most sought after WR’s in this draft. The only issue is that he’s seen so few balls in his career his skills are difficult to evaluate. Hill likely won’t run again after blazing Indy’s 40 yard dash, but he needs to show he can again run routes and catch the ball flawlessly. His drops are well documented and he needs to assure he teams he’s beyond them. Roddy Jones is a water bug type back who’s quick and deceptive with good acceleration through the hole. He’s a 3rd down back in the NFL who can catch the ball. Peters is a bit of mixed bag as he may be a 34 DE or 43 DE, we aren’t completely sure what he offers yet.

Illinois

WR AJ Jenkins

OT Jeff Allen

RB Jason Ford

DE Whitney Mercilus

CB Travon Wilson

SAF Trulon Henry

Illinois has a number of prospects to watch at their pro day. Offensively we may only see Jason Ford do the majority of timing as we expect Jenkins and Allen to both stand on their combine numbers. The same will probably hold true for Whitney Mercilus but the question will be how well will the defensive backs test. Both have good size and looked smooth on film, it will be interesting to see if that carries over to their times speed.

Liberty

DT Asa Chapman

QB/WR Mike Brown

WR Chris Summers

TE Tommy Shaver

WR BJ Hayes

PK Matt Bevins

If you had asked us just a few years ago about Liberty and their football program we would of looked at you with the same blank star you may be giving us right now. However in a short time they have done some big things and put a number of top level prospects into this draft. Let’s start with Mount Asa who played at around (or over) 400 lbs. and is literally immovable. Then you have the athletic Mike Brown who figures to move to WR for a shot at the NFL, and two under the radar pass catchers in Hayes and Shaver. However the show will be WR Chris Summers who is a big and physical WR who can get vertical and make the tough catch. If he throws down a good time he could end up getting drafted.

Rhode Island:

DT Matt Rae

DT Willie McGinnest

QB Steve Probst

A pair of interior defensive lineman lead the way for the Rams this year. Rae and McGinnest did a wonderful job feeding off each other the last few years and taking turns terrorizing the interior OL’s of the CAA. QB Steve Probst has good size and a solid arm. He’s a bit of an off the radar prospect but teams always are interested in taking a look at QB’s with size and the necessary arm strength.

Sacramento State:

DE Zack Nash

WR Chase Deadder

QB Jeff Fleming

OT Nate Doverspike

While many people may not know about Sacramento State that have produced quite a load of possible prospects this year. Nash is a pass rush specialist who knows how to bring the pressure off the edge. QB Jeff Fleming and WR Chase Deadder both have good size and a good chemistry which should help them look better in work outs. Doverspike is another slightly undersized OT who may kick inside to OG if he can add some weight. He was a LT for Sacramento State but we don’t think he has the feet to remain there in the NFL.

Tarleton State:

QB Nick Stephens

OG Solomon Orr

Nick Stephens is yet another former Tennessee Volunteers QB who decided to leave the program and transfer down. Stephens has great size and good arm strength but didn’t have anywhere near the same weapons at Tarleton State as he would have had at Tennessee. Solomon Orr is a massive OG prospect who is basically all size with limited skills. He won’t test well in terms of timing but he could really do himself a lot of good if he could look fluid in drills.

UCLA:

TE Cory Harkey

WR Taylor Embree

WR Nelson Rosario

SAF Tony Dye

Despite being down for a number of years UCLA boasts a decent set of prospect for their Pro Day this year. Rosario and Embree are size WR’s who are able to get down the field and go up over the defense to catch the ball. Dye is a very athletic SAF who has struggled with consistency and injury issues. A good Pro Day would go a long way to help show some teams that he is fully recovered from any lingering issues.

Valdosta State:

SAF Harrison Dreiling

Harrison Dreiling is a nice sized SAF prospect who moves well in the open field and tackles very well. He’s limited slightly athletically so he will need to not only run a decent 40 time but also show well in the 3 Cone Drill so he can prove his ability to change direction.